An Alternate Beginning
by User724
Summary: We spend most of Blue Sky watching Wheatley learn to be human, but what if it went the other way? Oneshot, might continue.
1. Chapter 1

" _Eaden"_

Chell's hand clawed limply at her coat pocket, then went still. As Wheatley pulled the map from said pocket, he realized something:

Eaden, whatever it was, was _reeally_ far away.

So far away in fact, that Wheatley was almost sure he couldn't carry her there before she bled out, so far away that there was no hope of her survival, so far away that they had gone through all of this for nothing.

 _But wait._

Wheatley suddenly remembered a story Rick had told him once, a story about a machine that could not only save Chell, but let her live forever. The only question was, did she want that?

Wheatley realized he was faced with a difficult decision, not unlike the one had had been faced with not one minute ago, because apparently the universe hated him: Option A, he could take Chell to this Eaden place and hope she didn't die before he could get help (if whoever lived there even _could_ help). Option B, he saved Chell, but forced her into a life she may not want.

Wheatley made his decision. It wasn't a decision, really. Chell could hate him for the rest of forever if she wanted, but Wheatley had already realized he couldn't live with himself if she died.

Wheatley sighed, and, taking one last look at the blue sky, carried Chell back into the facility.

 **/Transfer Initiated**

 **20% complete**

 **40% complete**

 **60% complete**

 **80%**

 **90%**

 **100%**

 **10% 66% 9999%^ &%ERROR: INTEGER OVERLOAD**

 **Transfer completed. Personality Sphere 1498: "Chell" booting.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Reboot Complete**

Chell bit back a groan as she slowly regained consciousness. She felt like she had been hit by an Aperture Science Bridge Durability Verification Vehicle, and yet her senses felt strangely...dulled.

Wait, how did she know what those trucks were called? How did she know there _were_ trucks? Where was she? And most importantly, _why couldn't she feel her legs?_

"Hello? Oh, you're awake! Brilliant!"

A quick clatter of footsteps, and Wheatley was there, looking exactly the same as when she had last seen him (when he nearly _left her to die,_ she remembered). Only, why was he so _big_?

 _Oh,_

 _Oh, no no no._

Chell was engulfed by a wave of horror so strong she nearly fainted ( _crashed_ ). She blinked her eyes ( _eye_ ) rapidly, but everything stayed the same. "What have you done?"

"What have I-" Wheatley was incredulous. "Lady, I saved your _life!_ Far more effectively than any human doctor could, I might add."

Chell fought to remain calm, taking deep breaths before realizing she no longer had any lungs. "Wheatley, this means I'll…" She shuddered, "I'll live forever."

"I know!" Wheatley beamed with pride. "Isn't it great?"

 **Personality Sphere 1498 has crashed.**

* * *

"I just don't get it." Wheatley was saying.

As Chell came back online she noticed two things. One: Wheatley had attached her to a management rail. Two: He apparently didn't understand why she wouldn't want to spend eternity as a _helpless metal ball._

"Is it the lack of hands thing?" He continued. "We can get you hands later. Although, judging by the way you're looking at me, if you had hands, you'd be punching me with them, so maybe we could wait on that."

"We were supposed to _escape._ "

"Alright, that may be a _bit_ harder now." Wheatley admitted. "But we can always get you one of these hard-light things. Or- or maybe I could carry _you_ for a change?" He looked pleased at the thought.

Chell's eye hardened. "Ever heard of 'three strikes and you're out'?"

"Well, yeah, I have actually-"

Had Chell been in possession of a piece of paper, she would have used it for this. Having neither paper nor hands, she had to settle for ramming him with her body.

"This is for trying to kill me."

 _Bang!_

"This is for nearly leaving me behind."

 _Bang!_

"And _this_." She said, her voice suddenly ice cold. "Is for making me like this- making me like _you._ "

 _Bang!_

"Three strikes," She said. "You're out."

With that, she somehow managed to engage her rail motors and sped from the room, leaving Wheatley behind once and for all.


	3. Chapter 3

"3 strikes, you're out."

Chell was about halfway down the rail when she realized her mistake: she was alone, in the world's most dangerous laboratory, in a body she barely knew how to use. Not one of her best ideas, but there was _no way_ she was going back to Wheatley.

"Hey, over here! How's it going sugarplum?"

As it turns out, she didn't have to.

"Hey pretty lady." a corrupted core-Rick- said. "I don't think I've seen you before, you new?

Chell awkwardly tried to nod, and Rick seemed to understand. "You lost?"

Nod.

"You don't talk much, do ya?"

Chell shook her head. "Well lucky for you, Rick the Adventure Sphere knows where all the cool cores hang out. Follow me."

Rick sped off down the rail, making hairpin turns and sliding down slopes until Chell was gasping for breath she didn't need. Finally, they reached an open wall panel, and Rick motioned for her to enter.

"Hey nerds! I found a new girl!"

Chell's heart (hard drive) skipped a beat as she found herself in a room full of cores. There was a red core with a flower patterned eye, and a navy blue one who seemed to think he was a cop. There was even a core with a snowflake optic, who acted like Space Core's distant cousin.

Chell had never seen cores in one place, and she couldn't help but wonder if her escape would have gone better with one of _them_ by her side.

"How do you know it's a girl?" A vintage looking core asked in a heavy accent, shaking Chell out of her thoughts.

"Uh, duh! Her optic is pink!"

 _Pink?_

"Fact: Pink is a very manly color."

"What's your name new girl?" Asked the cop core.

Chell thought fast. "Redacted."

"Well Miss Redacted-you are a Miss, right?" Chell nodded. "Alright. You got any idea what you were built for?"

Chell shook her head. Truthfully, Wheatley probably hadn't bothered to give her a function. _"Don't think about him"_ She chided herself.

"Well if you don't know, we should probably ask Her-"

Chell shook her head frantically. "Heard the stories huh?" The vintage core asked sympathetically. "Tell you what, you can help us out at our jobs, and see if that jogs your memory. OK?"

Chell reluctantly agreed. She would play the apprentice for now, but soon she would find a way to reverse this and escape. And this time, no one would slow her down.

 **I got the "Core break room" from "Testing Maintenance," and the cores from "Meet The Cores" by Harry101UK on Youtube. I've hidden the name of another Portal fanfic in this chapter, see if you can find it!**


	4. Chapter 4

Virgil sighed as yet another panel collapsed into a smoking heap. "Well, I think we can assume that you are _not_ a maintenance core. You are very good at breaking things though!"

It had been two days since Chell had met the cores. So far, she had killed all the plants in Rose's garden, nearly flooded Ray's aquarium room, and yelled at Onathan to shut up (Although everyone agreed that was justified). This wasn't to say she was bad at those jobs, she just figured that Virgil would eventually get tired of babysitting her.

"Look." The core in question said awkwardly. "We've tried just about every job in the facility at this point, and I think there is a high probability that you are...well, broken."

 _Mission accomplished_

"Now, normally, corrupted cores are put into quarantine." Virgil continued. "But I know what it's like in the scrap heap, so I'm gonna show you something.

* * *

"Ta-da!" Virgil crowed as he stopped in front of an elevator. "This will take you straight up to the surface. The only problem is: it's humans only. So unless you can find a way to trick the system into thinking you're human…"

Chell gave a reassuring nod: _Leave that to me_

* * *

 _Come on._ Chell thought as she searched the storage silo for the second and a half time (Thank goodness someone had installed a rail). She knew it would be faster to plug into a port and run a search, but that might alert GLaDOS to her presence, and she didn't want to use this body unless it was absolutely necessary. _They couldn't possibly have only made one of those androids, right?_

Who was she kidding? This was _Aperture._

 _Thht_

Chell whirled around at the distinctive sound of a portal opening. Sure enough, there was one on the wall behind her, and her optic widened when she saw who it was.

Wheatley

Blue eyed, long limbed, eternally clumsy _Wheatley._

"Come on!" Before Chell could react, Wheatley had pulled her off the rail and carried her through the portal.

"Nice job on the sabotage!" He said. "I've been keeping an eye on you. N-not _stalking_ you, just...all right I've totally been stalking you, but that's not important. What _is_ important is that I found a way out, come on!"

Wheatley leapt across catwalks, dodged turrets, and portalled like a champ. _When did he learn to use a portal gun?_ Chell wondered.

"We're almost there." Wheatley said as they ran through an abandoned chamber. "I just wanted to take this opportunity to say how truly sorry I am, Chell-"

Suddenly, both doors locked, the lights went out, and all of the panels flipped to black.

" _Found you."_


	5. Chapter 5

" _Found you."_

Wheatley shrieked as a robotic claw tore Chell from his grip, then held her out of reach. "Y-you give her back!" He shouted, his voice quivering. Chell couldn't blame him for being scared, that voice had haunted her nightmares for four years.

" _Well, he actually went and did it."_ GLaDOS said, her voice tinged with evil glee. _"I'd heard rumors of a defective core wrecking my facility, but I never guessed that that you would have survived the procedure, especially with_ him _at the controls."_

"What are you gonna do to her?"

" _I'm simply giving her her due for ruining science three times."_ GLaDOS said. _"You thought being a core was bad, try this on for size."_

 **Transfer Initiated**

A searing pain, a rush of vertigo, and everything went black.

Chell was dead.

Chell was dead, and it was all his fault. If only he hadn't been so stupid as to use her name!

" _Continue testing."_ GLaDOS said, _"With the lunatic gone, it's all those freakishly long legs of yours are good for."_

Wheatley felt simulated tears in his optics. Was this how he was going to spend the rest of forever? Testing for a psychotic AI, mourning a friend who died hating him?

" _What's going on?"_ GLaDOS' voice came over the intercom, sounding genuinely nervous for once. _"What are you- no, NO!"_

The entire facility shook, and Wheatley nearly lost his balance. When the lights flickered back on, a new face was waiting on the monitor. It looked like an early version of GLaDOS, but it's screen was bright pink.

"Chell? Is that you?"

"Yes." Chell looked down at the core that had wronged her time and time again. "I told you about three strikes and you're out."

"Yeah?"

"Did I ever tell what 'you're out' meant?"

 **Mashy Spike Plates online.**

"Yahhhh!" Wheatley stumbled, fell, and by some miracle landed on a catwalk. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you what you deserve." Chell triggered another spike plate. "Like this!"

 _Bang!_

"And _this!_ "

 _Bang!_

Wheatley miraculously dodged all of the spike plates, and took off running down the catwalk. "Chell!" Wheatley cried desperately. "Don't do this! Don't be a moron like I was!"

Chell froze. _I really am acting just like him, aren't I?_

 _Who cares?_

"Chell!"

 **Shredder online**

"Please!"

 **Bombs online**

"Don't-"

 **Incinerator Online**

"Do-"

 **Acid online**

"This!" Wheatley saw an exit, and quickly portalled into it. "How in the world am I gonna help her?"

 _[Have you tried turning it off and on again?]_

Wheatley shook his head. He didn't know where that thought _(memory)_ had come from, but it was just crazy enough to work.

"Hey Announcer!"

 **Yes?**

"Can you get me a map to...wherever she is?"

 **Affirmative, downloading map to prototype Central Core.**

"Hold on Chell." Wheatley said, surprising himself with his own determination. "I'm coming."


	6. Chapter 6

"Well you found me, congratulations. Was it worth it? Because it's not going to change anything."

Wheatley stood in the dilapidated chamber, watching Chell hang from the ceiling like an overgrown snake. He dove to the right to avoid a claw, but Chell grabbed him from the left.

"Poor Wheatley." She said, her voice a deadly whisper. "Just as predictable as the day we met."

"Why are you doing this? I thought-"

"You still don't get it!" Chell screamed, squeezing Wheatley harder. "You nearly left me to die, then instead of taking me home like you promised, you rip me from my body and cram me into a metal ball! I had _friends_ in Eaden. Real, human, friends! Now thanks to you, I'm going to outlive all of them! I'll-" Her voice cracked. "I'll never see them again…"

"Oh…" Wheatley had never experienced anything but immortality (at least, not that he remembered). He had never thought of it like _that._ "Oh, _Chell…"_

The claw nearly crushed him that time. "My name." Chell hissed "Is Redacted."

"M'sorry" Wheatley mumbled.

"You think you can just _apologize?"_ Chell screeched.

"No, I'm sorry for this."

Chell whirled around to see Virgil over by the breaker box. "No! I forbid you to pull that-"

 _Click_

The lights flickered out, the claw went limp, and Wheatley fell to the floor, unconscious. Chell's last thought was: _What have I done?_

* * *

" _Go over there and talk to her!"_

" _...Squash court. This is our guy."_

" _That's a plus on the Cognitive Rerouter."_

" _It's short for…'brazilliant.'"_

Wheatley woke with a start. "Holy Halogen!"

Chell woke with Wheatley staring down at her, just as she had before. This time though, she wasn't a core.

 **Thank you for using the Aperture Science Hard Light Human Relations Avatar.**

"Hey." Wheatley said.

"Hey." Chell said back.

"Does this mean we're even?"

"No."

Wheatley's face fell.

"But that's what mercy is for."

"You mean…"

"Yes Wheatley." Chell said. "I'm giving you another chance. Don't blow it."

"You can count on it!" Wheatley said happily. "That is, you can count on me getting this right, not me blowing it. Although there is a _slight_ chance that I-"

"Wheatley?'

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Will do."

* * *

Far away (but not nearly far enough away) from Aperture, there was a small town called Eaden. It's inhabitants had all but given up on finding Chell, so they were in for the shock of a lifetime when she came back from the Northeast, with a _boy._

"Hey, everyone." The boy in question said. "My name's Wheatley, and I'm sure you know Chell. Could you direct us to the man in charge- _woah!_ That is some beard."

"Well, uh, hello!" Aaron said, surprised by Wheatley's outburst. "Welcome to Eaden."

Just then, little Ellie Otten made it to the front of the crowd. She stared at Chell quizically.

"Is there something different about you?"


End file.
